Family Is Everything
by Travon203
Summary: Sort of AU; Mike has a secret no one knows about. Will someone found out the secret he's been hiding for years?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suits.**

 **Author's notes: Hello everyone. This is my first time writing a fanfic story so please criticize this as much as you is going to be a short story about Mike, set in Season 1.**

Chapter 1: Father and Son

Mike Ross was a young lawyer who had a secret that not even Harvey Specter knew. It was something that never came up because no one would think about it in the first place. His secret was a four-year-old boy named James Michael Ross.

Mike had a one-night stand with one of the girls he previously dated, which led to her being pregnant and him not knowing until a month after she'd given birth. He found James on the doorstep and that was it. There was a note saying that read "Mike, I know it's been awhile since we last saw each other, but we have a son. He's one month old today and he's such an amazing baby boy. As much as I love him, I don't think I can take care of him anymore. I can't tell you why, but things are getting worse and I can't handle this anymore. Along with this note is a birth certificate that hasn't been filled out yet. Do what you want with it, but please love and take care of our child -Victoria". After he had read this for the one hundredth time, Mike had no choice but to take care of his son. It's been four years and every day, things get a little bit easier.

"James, hurry and get dressed. You're going to be late for school."

"I'm coming, Daddy." James came running down, wearing a dress shirt with a sweater vest on top and jeans on the bottom. Mike was wearing his usual navy suits. He saw James putting on his backpack and grabbed their coats.

"Alright, kiddo. Ready?" Mike asked as they were about to leave their apartment.

"YES!"

Both father and son left their apartment building and took a cab to James' preschool first and then to Pearson Hardman.

Mike headed up to the office floor, feeling as if today was going to be a good day. He'd even picked up an exotic caffeinated beverage for Donna. He headed to his cubicle, settling down first before heading to Harvey's office.

"Good morning, Donna. It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"

"Well, what's gotten you in such a good mood?"

"Life, Donna. Life."

Harvey was walking towards them and pointed Mike to his office. Mike quickly followed.

"Where are we with the Stallone case? We have to be in court in an hour and you better have something for me."

"Of course, I do. I found out that they've been embezzling money from us and I've gotten a sworn affidavit from one of their employees who noticed the online paper trail. Time for us to bring down the hammer."

"Not 'us', but me."

"Whatever, either way we win."

"Damn right we do."

BANG!

"Court is adjourned," the judge said.

Harvey and Mike left the courtroom with nothing but $5 million dollars out of their verdict. Today was just too good to be true. Sadly, it was. Minutes after they left, Mike got a call from James' school.

"Hello, I'm calling from the New York Preschool. Are you the father of James Ross?" The woman on the other side asked.

With a sense of urgency, Mike immediately "Yes, I am. What's going on? Is James alright?"

"You better come down here."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: (Worries)

* * *

Apparently, James had fell down off one of the play structures during recess and was unconscious for five minutes. One of the teachers noticed that he had a head wound bleeding on the back of his skull. They wanted to play it safe and called Mike before taking him to the hospital to make sure there was no brain damage.

Meanwhile, Mike was at the courthouse, preparing to hyperventilate about what happened to his son. He was told to meet James at Toronto Children's Hospital ASAP. He saw Harvey coming out of the mens' bathroom and quickly ran up to him.

"Harvey, I have to go," he said. "There's, uh, family emergency I have to tend to."

He ran out the door before Harvey could even respond. Harvey initially assumed that something happened to his grandmother, but why wouldn't he just say that. He would have understood since he is somewhat human. Something was up, but Harvey couldn't do anything without spooking the kid.

* * *

Mike arrived at the hospital ten minutes later and shouted aloud to the lady at the front desk, "Has James Ross been admitted yet?" The lady had taken too long to know where his child was and continued to snap at the innocent woman, "Damn it, where is he?"

As luck would have it, one of the doctors came out and asked him if he was the father of one James Ross. Mike nodded vehemently and was directed to follow the older-looking gentlemen. Once he headed into one of the rooms in the pediatric ward, he saw his son sitting on one of the hospital beds with a nurse tending to his head wound.

Before he could run up to his son and hold him in his arms, the doctor immediately began speaking, "Mr. Ross, your son has a laceration on the back of his head and will be needing stitches on it." Mike was appalled by how horrible it was for a boy his age to be needing stitches. "Now, I'll need you to fill out some paperwork while one of our nurses tends to his stitches," the doctor said. He grabbed the clipboard from the doctor and slowly walked up to the hospital bed. James turned around and saw his dad walking up towards him, with glassy eyes and tears that looked like it could fall at any moment.

"Daddy!" the young boy shouted.

"Hey there, kiddo. I heard you got hurt today. Are you okay?"

"Yes. It hurt a little bit, but then it went away."

"James, I need you to hold still, okay?" The nurse interjected in. "Sorry, buddy, but this is going to sting a little bit."

Mike took James' hand and sat with him, before realizing that he'd forgotten to introduce himself to the nurse. "Where are my manners? My name is Mike Ross. I'm James' dad."

The nurse smiled before replying, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nurse Emma. This will only take a few more minutes and then I'll be done."

After James was all stitched up, Mike signed his discharge papers and left with a clean bill of health. The doctor told him that James should take a couple of days off from school and come back in a week to make sure there wasn't going to be an infection on the wound. Not wanting to leave his side, Mike told Donna that he was going to take the next couple of days off for personal reasons and was surprised when she didn't question him. He took James out to lunch and spent the rest of the day at home, making sure that his son was going to be alright.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think of it and send me ideas if you want for the next few chapters. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: (Mini-Vacation)

* * *

Business started at 8 AM, despite the fact that they didn't really open until 9:30 in the morning. Harvey continued to look at his door every five minutes or so, wondering where the kid was. He was usually 10 minutes late, but this time felt different. Right then, Harvey's stomach turned into knots and yelled out to Donna.

The red-headed lady calmly walked into the office and said, "Yes, Harvey?"

"Where's Mike? We were supposed to go celebrate the big win last night, but he didn't answer any of my calls. Do you know where is?"

Donna had been thinking about Mike's call the entire morning and she was debating whether or not to tell Harvey her opinion of the situation. The boy, whom she treated as a younger brother, was acting squirrelly and would never hide anything from the two people who already knew his "secret".

After the unnecessary long pause, Donna finally spoke. "He called me yesterday that he was going to take the next few days off."

Harvey had a blank expression and immediately ten different things went through his head. "Any reason why he might do that?" He simply questioned, not wanting to show his vulnerable side, even to Donna.

"No idea. Do you want me to go to his apartment and check on him?"

"No, it's fine. I'll check on him after work. Thanks, Donna. What time is the Gunderson meeting?"

"In two hours," Donna replied as she walked out the door.

This was odd. First, Mike leaves due to a "family emergency". Next, he doesn't show up for work. Could it be Trevor? Is he still hanging out with the guy who tried to set him up? He should know better than to still be in business with that drug dealer. Just thinking about it was giving Harvey a headache. His associate better not be screwing things up.

* * *

Mike had felt guilty about skipping work, but he had no choice. He wasn't ready to leave his son yet and their babysitter, Sarah, wasn't available to take care of James in the morning. Sarah was in medical school, using the babysitting gig as a way to pay tuition. Mike couldn't be more grateful for her. All those long nights in the cubicle, trying to prepare for depositions and motions, couldn't be done with Sarah. He knew that she had work to do too, so he always gave her extra to compensate for her overtime with James. She would refuse to take it and they would go back and forth for a couple minutes before she gave in.

Mike checked in James around 7:30 am before heading to the kitchen to cook them both some breakfast. The boy was still asleep on his side and Mike was thankful for that. On days where he had to head to work early, Mike and James would each have a bowl of cereal since it was quick and he didn't have to cook. On the rare occasions where he had a day off or he could get in late, Mike would make his famous waffles and bacon. James, especially, loved his waffles and Mike would watch his son's eyes illuminate as he ate and then laugh when there was syrup all over his face. These were the moments that as a father, Mike would cherish the most.

By the time he finished cooking, it was 8 o'clock. Mike went to James' room to wake him up and had already found James playing with his Lego toys on his bed.

"Good morning James. How's your head? Does it still hurt?" He asked as he sat on the young boy's bed. "Are you hungry?"

Mike received a mix of 'yes' and 'no' nods. He laughed and he carried his son out to the kitchen table.

"Guess what, James?"

"What?"

"Daddy has a day off for the next few days so we can do whatever you want."

The boy immediately smiled and jumped up and down. "Yay! Can we go to the park? And then go get ice cream? And then go to the zoo?"

He continued to bombard Mike with questions about their day plan before Mike stopped him to slow down.

"We will do all of that, okay buddy?" He said calmly. "For now, finish up your food and go get ready."

James finished up three-quarters of his waffle and ran to his room to change his pajamas. Mike cleaned up the mess he made in the kitchen and then also went to get ready. The first place they went to was the park. After that, they headed to the zoo where James stood in awe of every exhibit he saw. He really loved the giraffes. They were his favorite animal. James really enjoyed the park and the zoo and Mike enjoyed spending time with his son, but he couldn't help but have a gnawing feeling that work was more important.

* * *

Harvey was having a tough time dealing in all of the paperwork that Mike usually handled. This was ridiculous. I shouldn't be doing something a first-year associate could do.

Donna knew that Harvey was becoming more irritated and she couldn't do much to help. So during her lunch break, she called Mike to see if he could cut his little vacation short.

"Mike, any chance you could come in right now?" She asked, hoping his answer was yes.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I can't. I told you yesterday that there was family emergency."

"Please, Mike. Harvey is going crazy without you. What is going on? You know you can trust me right?"

"Harvey needs me, doesn't he? Wow, I never thought the day would finally come," he said while smirking. "Anyway, things are fine and I do trust you, Donna. I really do."

"Mike, just tell me."

"I have to go. I'll see you soon."

The call ended and Donna sat at her desk dumbfounded. She didn't know if she could take any more of Harvey's attitude and without Mike, everything is going to turn into shit.

* * *

Mike felt uneasy after the phone call, but things were for the best, especially for him. He and James went to grab lunch and ended the afternoon with James crashing after a sugar high from dessert. They went home and Mike put James down for his nap so he could go catch up on some work. Luckily, there wasn't much to be done. He laid down on the couch and started thinking about his life. Things were good right now and he didn't want to mess it up. Only a handful of people knew about James and there are others that know he is a fraud. These two secrets were surely going to collide at one point, but he just didn't know when. His eyes were slowly drooping and he knew he was getting tired. He closed his eyes for a second and was later awokened by something poking his chest. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his son smiling at him.

"Good morning, Daddy" he said cheerfully.

Mike laughed and said "Good morning to you too, buddy." He looked on his clock and realized that it was almost four o'clock. Time to cook dinner. He sat up straight from the couch and pulled James onto it.

"What do you want for dinner today?"

"Macaroni and cheese!"

Of course, he wanted macaroni and cheese. Who didn't? Mike told him to go play in his room for a bit while he would start cooking.

* * *

The day was ending and Harvey decided to leave earlier than usual. He called Ray to let him know that he would be leaving early. He passed Donna on the way out and she knew where he was going. He was going to find out what was up with the kid, one way or another.

Ray drove him to Mike's apartment and he headed up to Mike's floor. He rang the doorbell and was about to give him a piece of his mind. Every curse word he could think of was about to spill out of his mouth towards Mike. The door opened and so did his mouth.

"What the f-?" Harvey blurted out while stopping mid-sentence.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. Thanks for reading and I hope you give me thoughts on the recent chapters. I also would like to give a shoutout to** **Rose for being for the first person to review my story. As a heads up, I might be changing it up in the next few chapters so be aware.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Contentment

* * *

Harvey had been to Mike's apartment once before, but he had never actually stepped inside. If he did, he probably would have noticed the toys and the actual kid standing in front of him. He heard Mike yelled out who was at the door. There was no response coming out of neither Harvey or James. Mike walked to the front door and saw Harvey.

"Harvey. What are you doing here?"

Harvey finally found his words and said, "I came by so you can give me a reason as to why you didn't show up to work today. Now I know."

Mike noticed that James was now clinging on to his right leg and told him to go play in his room and dinner will be ready in a few minutes. He looked towards to Harvey and told him to have a seat while pointing to his couch. They sat for a few minutes before Harvey spoke first.

"So, when were you going to tell me that you had a kid?" he said furiously.

"I swear I was gonna tell you, but the timing never seemed right. Plus, the "fraud" thing seemed more important and you didn't seem to care about my personal life. Why does it even matter?"

"Well, when your personal life interferes with your work life, it makes it my goddamn problem. I can't have people questioning why my fake associate is missing work as if I don't have a hard enough time making sure no one finds out that you're a fraud."

"Look Harvey, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but what's done is done. My son is one of the most important people in my life and that's all that matters."

"I want you tell me how this happened. From the start."

Mike proceeded to tell Harvey about the one night stand and how he had to become a single parent in his late twenties. They talked for a while before James came out telling Mike that he was hungry. He faced James toward Harvey and introduced him.

"James, I want you to meet my boss, Mr. Specter."

"Hi, Mr. Specter," he said timidly.

"Hello, James. Call me Harvey, instead."

"Okay," he said before turning to his dad.

Mike stood up and grabbed dinner for his son. He asked Harvey if he wanted dinner, but he declined. After Mike fed James, Harvey decided to leave, but before he did, he asked Mike one last question.

"Any more secrets you want to tell me?"

"I may have accidentally ruined one of your records the other day."

"You're fired," he said before slamming the door.

* * *

Mike felt glad that he told Harvey about James. It was one less person to lie to. There was weight off of his shoulders and he had a good night's sleep that night.

After a few days of staying home with James, it was back to work. Knowing Harvey, he'd probably would have told Donna and Donna would probably be upset. Luckily, he came prepared. He walked up to Donna's desk and was immediately ignored.

"Donna, please. I'm sorry I didn't tell, but I just needed space"

She looked up to him before replying, "Sorry doesn't cut it. We've been working together for almost a year and I get that you might not have trusted me before but we've gone through the bad times together."

"I know and the next time something's up, I will tell you. Will you please forgive me?"

"Hmmm, I guess because who else is going to keep bringing me free exotic caffeinated beverages?"

He smiled at her and then headed into Harvey's office. Harvey looked up from his files and saw the grin on Mike's face.

"I see that you've patched things up with Donna."

"Yes, I did," he said confidently. "What's on the agenda today?

"Not much. With luck, we might be able to leave before five."

Finally, things were almost right in the world. The only thing he had left to do was to make Rachel Zane fall in love with him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. If you have any ideas or prompts you would like in the story, please PM me! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Secrets

* * *

The two secrets he kept closely were stopping Mike from telling Rachel everything, including the fact that he was in love with her. Telling her about James would probably shock her but telling her that he was a fraud was a different story. Who would know how she'd react? But there she was sitting in her office, working on whatever it was that Louis assigned her to do. She was stunningly beautiful and smart and kind. She was everything to him. Finally, he took a deep breath before entering her office.

"Good morning, Rachel."

She looked up from her files and greeted him. "What do you need?"

"What makes you think I need something?" he acted shocked.

"It's currently 10:05 am and I know you and Harvey just wrapped up a case so you're obviously not here for legal advice."

"Okay, you got me," he said. "Would you like to go to dinner tonight with me?"

"What do you mean? Like a date?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

She looked at his eyes before saying "Yes."

He smiled before agreeing to pick her up at 7 pm. This was good. Everything is going well. He wanted to tell her everything tonight but he needed to do something first.

* * *

After Mike asked her out, Rachel immediately asked Donna out for lunch. There was much to discuss. They both agreed to meet at the restaurant across the street at noon. Donna was the first to arrive.

"Hey."

"Hey. Thanks for meeting me for lunch."

"Of course, what's going on?"

"Mike Ross asked me out to dinner. I am so excited."

"Good for you, Rachel!"

"I know! This is great! We've only been working together for nearly a year, but I feel like I've known him forever. He is smart and intelligent and he genuinely cares about people. He's an amazing person."

Donna grinned while looking at Rachel talk about Mike. She was clearly in love with him and she didn't even know it! They were the perfect couple. They spent their lunch break talking about what she was going to wear for dinner and her intentions for the night.

* * *

Tonight was the night, but Mike wanted to give Harvey a heads up before he did. He walked in the office and noticed Harvey on the couch working on something.

"Hey Harvey."

"Hey Mike."

"Listen, I have something to tell you, but you're not going to like it."

"What is it, Mike?"

"I'm going to tell Rachel about James and me and everything and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Absolutely not, Mike! I don't need to tell you the repercussions for telling Rachel your secret!"

"She isn't going to tell anyone. She would never. "

"I don't care, Mike. You are not telling her anything."

"That's not really up to you, now is it?"

"Harvey, she is the one for me. She is everything and I don't want to start our relationship off with a lie."

"Mike, you are not telling her. End of story."

Mike left the office in a fit of rage and had no idea what to do. Every fiber in his bone wanted to tell her, but Harvey was Harvey. He had until dinner to decide if he was going to tell everything.

* * *

Donna came back from the bathroom minutes after Mike had left. She noticed Harvey was drinking scotch, which was usually a bad sign, especially at 3 in the afternoon.

"What's wrong, Harvey?"

He turned around and simply replied, "He wants to tell Rachel."

Her face turned pale and she grabbed the bottle of scotch to pour into her cup. "You know I like Rachel and everything, but Harvey, you can't let Mike tell her."

"I know, Donna. I told him not to, but he ran out like a baby. What else was I going to do?"

"You could have made sure he wasn't going to say anything."

"He knows what the right thing is and we'll see when he comes in tomorrow."

* * *

Mike made sure that James was bathed and fed. He asked Sarah to watch him for a few hours for his date with Rachel. He was out the door by 6:30 pm and would be home at 9, at the latest. He swung by to pick up Rachel and he was speechless when she opened the door.

"You look amazing," he said after keeping his mouth open wide for thirty seconds.

"You look amazing, too," she said when she noticed him wearing a dress shirt and a navy blazer.

"Give me a second so I grab my coat."

"Sure."

They went to one of those fancy restaurants that Mike and Harvey dined at to schmooze a client. There was beautiful lighting all around the room and they were seated next to the pianist playing a classical piece. They ordered a bottle of red wine and had candles placed on their table. The night could not be any more romantic.

"So, you're telling me that you've never seen a black and white movie?" he asked.

"No, it's black and white. How can you see anything?"

"Wow, this date is over. I can't be with anyone who doesn't watch black and white films. That is an insult to America," he said jokingly.

The dinner was great and they ended the night with a walk around the city. They spent the entire time laughing and getting to know each other. It was light and easy. It was just simple.

"You know what?" she asked.

"What?"

"We've spent most of the entire evening talking about me. Tell me more about you."

This was the moment. He could tell her everything and be done with it. He could be free and have everything he ever wanted. He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Rachel, I-" he stopped when he saw what was happening. Rachel was kissing him. She was kissing him. This was amazing. Her lips were tasted like mint and soft. It felt so smooth and real. In that moment, nothing else had mattered. He could just be with her and that was all he needed in that instance.

She smiled before saying, "What was it you were going to say?"

Mike got his thoughts together and finally said, "I have a son."

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and please review. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: All I Want

* * *

Damn it! This wasn't the life-threatening secret that Mike wanted to tell Rachel. She was completely silent and he was afraid that he was going to lose her in that very moment.

"Rachel, say something." he pleaded. "Please. Anything."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"Anything. Are you mad? Upset? Angry? Happy?" Mike said hoping it was the last one.

"I'm surprised and a little bit mad that you didn't tell me," she finally said. "But I guess it's understandable."

"This is great!" he said while leaning in to kiss her again. Then his phone was buzzing in his pocket.

Mike saw that it was his babysitter calling. "Sarah, what's up?"

"Mr. Ross, I think James is running a fever, but I'm not sure."

"Uhh, okay. Can you take his temperature and give him some Tylenol? I'll be home in ten minutes."

"Okay, sure. I'll see you soon."

Mike hanged up and turned to Rachel. He felt bad for ending their date early.

"Rachel, I'm sorry, but James has a fever."

"Oh my god. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, but I have to go. Maybe we can have a second date soon."

"Yes, of course."

Mike, not knowing what to do, hesitantly, kissed her again and then hailed a taxi home.

* * *

Rachel came into work the next day with a big goofy smile on her face. She was finally with Mike. She wondered what James was like. Did he have Mike's eyes? Was he as smart and amazing as Mike? She had hoped to meet James soon.

Donna later walked into her office, wanting the juicy details of their date last night?

"So, how was the date?"

Rachel just smiled as wide as she could.

"That good, huh?" Donna smirked.

"It was just amazing. It was the best date I had in awhile."

"Hey, did Mike tell you anything important? Possibly a secret?"

"You already knew, didn't you?"

"Rachel, I'm telling you. Do not tell anyone. This will ruin his life and others too."

"What are you talking about? How will James ruin other people's lives?"

Donna stopped for a moment and just realized what Rachel said. "Wait, you're talking about James?"

"Yeah, what were you talking about?"

"Nothing, I was talking about James too."

"No, you weren't. Donna, what's going on?

"Nothing, okay? I just think James is going to make Mike look different from the other associates," Donna said hoping that the lie would hold. "Oh, look at the time. I have to get back to work."

She walked out before Rachel could even say a word.

* * *

Mike had been exhausted from the night before. James kept him up all night with his fever and he was worried that he might have to take him to the hospital if it worsened. His fever broke at 5am, leaving Mike more tired than ever. But it also gave James a couple of hours of sleep after he had been fussing all night. Mike knew that he couldn't take any more days off from work, but he found a way around that now.

"Hey, Harvey. I think I might have to work from home today. James is sick and I want to make sure the worst part is over."

"Sure, Mike. But I do have some files I need you to work on since some of the deadlines are tomorrow."

"Okay, Harvey. As long as I can stay home."

"I'll have Donna send you the paperwork."

The phone call ended and it seemed like he had a couple of minutes before he had to work again. His mind just went to the kiss last night. It was pure bliss and it reminded him how long it's been since he's been so happy content. The only hitch was that he didn't tell about being a fraud. They both knew that they had feelings for each other and this wasn't some casual fling. This was real. He knew he was going to have to sooner or later, and he'd rather it being the former so he could just stop lying to the people he cared about. That's all he was asking for.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Now or Never

* * *

Mike headed back to work the next day. The first thing he did was stop into Rachel's office. He hadn't seen her since their epic first kiss. He opened door and went around the desk. Rachel had not seen him yet. He leaned down to kiss her, but she put a finger open to his mouth.

"I was hoping that we could keep our relationship on the down low," she said.

"Why?"

"Just because. I don't want any rumors to spread around or anything."

"If that's what you want, Rachel," he complied with her request. "But we do need to plan our next date."

"How about tomorrow night? A home-cooked meal?"

"Sure."

"And with James too?"

"Wait, what?" he questioned. "Rachel, are you sure about this? Aren't you moving a little bit too quick?"

Rachel pulled her head back and realized her oversight. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Mike. It's too early to meet James, isn't it?"

She continued to ramble on until Mike stopped her. "No, no, no. That's not what I meant. I meant that most girls usually aren't that excited after I tell them that I have a son."

"Well, I'm not most girls. By the way, you never told me about how James came into your life," she said, trying to find a delicate way to ask how Mike had a son.

"If you really do want to meet James tomorrow, then I can tell you everything there is to know about him and me and the past four years."

"It's a date!"

* * *

Harvey was in his office when he saw Mike walking in. Donna told him that Rachel only knows about James. He made the right choice, despite the fact that he wanted to go legit. This was about as legit as he can.

"Good morning, Harvey," Mike said cheerfully.

"Hey Mike. I know it sucks, but I'm glad you made the right choice.

"Can we not talk about this anymore? Yeah, it sucks, but I can't do much about it."

"Okay, then. We have a client who needs us for a merger."

"Got it. I'll get you the paperwork in two hours."

Despite their conversation, Mike pushed away to prepare for their date tomorrow night. Hopefully, James will like Rachel. The kid wasn't always easy-going with some of his ex-girlfriends. For example, Jenny was one of his former girlfriends and James absolutely hated her. Every time they hanged out together, he would always whine and cling onto his dad for comfort. He had to break it off with Jenny for the sake of his son.

* * *

Their date night came faster than either of them expected. Rachel brought some groceries to Mike's apartment for their home-cooked meal. She even bought some ice cream as a treat for James. While she was cooking in his apartment, Mike went to go pick up James from his playdate. On the way home, Mike announced to James that they were having a guest over for dinner. James asked who it was. Mike told him that it was a co-worker/friend. He didn't want to alarm James about another girlfriend. James seemed to be alright with it. Meanwhile, Rachel was also mentally preparing herself for James. She worried that James wouldn't like her. Deciding to play it safe, she made fish sticks with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes. Mike said that this was his favorite meal so hopefully, she could charm the little boy. She heard the door open.

"James, I want you to meet my friend, Ms. Rachel" Mike said, introducing her to James.

"Hello," James said.

"Hi, James. It's nice to meet you. Are you guys ready for dinner?"

"Almost. James, why don't you go wash up?" Mike said.

James ran down the hall and Mike and Rachel were just standing together in the living room.

"It smells great, Rachel."

"Thank you. It was worth it," she said leaning in for a quick kiss before James came back.

Dinner was great and James really loved her fish sticks. He told her about his favorite color and what he liked to do. Mike knew that James liked her and that this was good. This dinner wasn't such a bad idea at all. After they all had dessert, Rachel spent more time getting to know James. He really did take after his father. Mike put James to bed and he and Rachel spent some time talking to her about James.

"Wow, so does James know who his mom is?" she asked.

"Kind of. He doesn't know her name or anything like that, but he knows that she left him when he was little. I didn't really go into specifics with him."

"Does he want to know?"

"I think he does, but he's too afraid to ask, I think. But if he ever does, I won't lie to him. He deserved to know who his parents really are," he said, emphasizing the 'really' of that sentence.

He leaned in to kiss her and while they started to make out like young teenagers in love, that gnawing feeling popped in his head. He really wanted to tell her. He gently pushed Rachel off of him, catching his breath first.

"Rachel, we can't."

"Why not? Because of James?"  
"That's partially it, but that's not the reason why."

She looked at him questioningly, "Why, then?"

This was it. Now or never. Harvey was going to kill him for this. He was going to risk everything for this.

"I'm a fraud."

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. Also PM any ideas you have for future chapters or stories. Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Grateful

* * *

"Excuse me? What the hell did you just say?"

"I know you're mad, but I didn't know what else to do."

"What? What do you mean that you're a fraud?"

He took a breath before saying, "I never went to law school."

"How? How is that even possible?"

"Lola Jensen hacked into Harvard and put me in there."

"Oh my god, Mike. Why are you telling me this? Do you even know that you committed a crime?"

"Yes, but I'm helping people."

"No, you're not! You're lying to them. And to yourself."

She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door.

"Rachel, where are you going?"

"Anywhere. Away from here."

"Please, stop. Please!"

"Goodbye Mike."

This wasn't the way their night was supposed to end. He knew that Rachel would never tell anyone, but would that mean that she would never talk to him again. God damnit.

* * *

Rachel wished she never told him. This was just too much. But it was Mike. He meant something to her and she didn't know how she felt about him anymore. She took the day off, not wanting to see Mike for a while, until she thought things through. Donna called to check on her and she didn't even know if Donna knew. This thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

* * *

Mike didn't know how Rachel was processing all of this. He hadn't seen her for the past few days and he was starting to get worried. If she didn't show up tomorrow, then he was going to go see him, whether she liked it or not. He had yet to tell Harvey that someone else knew and he was about to as soon as Harvey stepped foot into their office.

Mike got up from the couch and said, "Good morning, Harvey." He walked over to close the door.

"Hey Mike. Where's the Peters' file? You know we have a depo-"

Mike interrupted him and blurted out, "I told Rachel. I just couldn't help it."

"Excuse me? Did we not just have a talk about this a week ago?"

"I know, but it's too late now."

Harvey sighed. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"She hasn't been to work at all this week. I keep going to voicemail. If you're worried about her telling anyone, she won't."

"And how sure are you about this?"

"80% sure."

"Well, you better make it 110% or else shit is gonna be hitting the fan."

"Okay, I'll see her tonight."

He left after the office and muttered to himself, "So much for having time to prepare myself." This was going to get ugly real fast.

* * *

Mike was going to have to get a babysitter tonight. He was going to leave at 8pm right after he read James' bedtime story.

"That was a good story, wasn't it?"

James nodded before asking, "Daddy, what happened to Ms. Rachel?"

"She's at home, buddy. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I like her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her fish sticks were good."

Mike smiled at his comment. They really were good. "How would you feel if Ms. Rachel wasn't my friend? More like a date?"

James didn't really understand the dating thing, but he knew it meant having older women around him and his dad. "You mean like Jenny?"

"Something like that. Would you be okay with that?"

He nodded before saying, "She's different."

"Yes, she is."

Mike left after kissing his son goodnight and was preparing for his talk with Rachel. There was a knock on the door and he thought that must have been the babysitter. He opened the door and saw Rachel instead.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?"

"Is this a bad time?"

"No, I was actually coming to see you, but this works too."

They both sat down on his couch and he started talking first.

"Rachel, I know that you're mad and everything, but this was why I had to tell you. I couldn't lie knowing how I felt about you."

"That's just it, Mike. It's hard for me to admit this, but I have real feelings for you and now I don't even know if I can trust you."

"You can. Please."

Rachel thought for a long minute before saying, "If you want to earn back my trust, tell me everything. Starting with who knows your secret."

He began telling her everything, starting with only Harvey and Donna fully knew his secret. He talked about how he went into a conference room and marijuana fell out of his suitcase right in front of Harvey. He told her everything and at the end of the night, he waited for her response.

"Rachel, if you don't to be with me, that's fine. You don't have to say anything."

What could she say? All she could do was kiss him. She kissed him with so much passion that he returned the favor. Their make-out on the couch led to them moving into his room and onto his bed. Mike was nothing less than grateful and satisfied.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Finale

* * *

Mike and Rachel woke up next to each other in the next morning and were both taking in the other's looks. Mike was relieved that Rachel had forgiven him and that they still had a relationship. He really loved her and if he had the guts to say it aloud so soon, he would. Rachel, on the other hand, was still slowly reeling it what they just did. But deep down, she knew he was the one. They both laid there in bed for another twenty minutes before they heard a voice entering his room.

"Daddy?"

Uh oh. Rachel got up from the bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor and went into the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. Mike put a shirt and a random pair of boxers. James then walked into the room.

"Hey buddy. Are you hungry?"

The boy nodded and Mike lifted him up onto his arms. "Let's get you some food."

While he and James left his room, Rachel stepped out of the bedroom and slowly tried to sneak their way out of there. James seeing her leave his dad's room at 8 in the morning was not the way to make a good second impression on him.

* * *

Mike headed into work and he casually bumped into Rachel.

"Good morning Rachel!" he said loudly, not wanting to arouse suspicion.

"Good morning Mike. You don't have to be so loud."

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to this. To us."

"It's fine."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I have a large caseload today and I'm probably not going to finish until tomorrow night."

"Well, maybe I can help you over dinner."

"Are you sure? Mike, this might not be a good idea."

"Why not? Sushi take-out at my place just like the first time we pulled an all-nighter here."

Rachel blushed and then accepted. "I'll meet you at your place at 7pm."

* * *

Rachel came over at promptly at 7 and walked into the living room. She gasped when she saw it was a candlelit table with sushi placed on top.  
"Mike, I'm never going to get any work done, if I'm too busy being distracted by the romantic evening you planned."

"I think that's the point," he whispered into her ears. "Plus, I have a surprise for you."

"What?"

"I finished all of your work."

"What? That's impossible."

"It really isn't when you have photographic memory," he said while pointing to his head.

She leaned in to kiss him and thanked him. This night couldn't have been better. They ate their dinner in peace and moved to couch to talk.

"I know that things are moving really fast, but I have to get something off my chest, Rachel."

"What is it?"

"I...I... I love you, Rachel. A lot. "

"I love you too, Mike."

"It's just that I trust you with my secret and James and everything else in my life. I'm just so grateful that you're here with me," he said taking in her hands.

"I'm grateful too. I met you and fell in love with you. After everything that's happened, I know that the most important thing at the end of the day is that we love each other. That's all that matters."

Mike didn't know how to react to this, but he felt his heart rise and his love for her grow. Rachel and James were the most important people in his life and he would stop at nothing to protect him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: THE END! This is it, everyone. I couldn't think of a better way to end it so this is what I had. Thanks for reading! Please send me any prompts or ideas for my next story!**


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